Emergency escape ladder

ABSTRACT

A self-contained emergency escape ladder assembly selectively adjustable to and from a folded, enclosed and concealed position of storage and an extended position of use comprising first and second vertically extending subassemblies, each of which includes a ladder post fixedly secured to a half-shell enclosure, said ladder posts being interconnected by a plurality of spaced-apart hinged rungs whereby said second vertically extending subassembly may be adjusted to and from said positions as desired. The first vertically extending subassembly being adapted to be fixedly secured to a building wall. The said ladder assembly further comprising means for securely locking said first and second vertically extending portions together in said storage position and additionally means for unlocking said locking means and urging said portions away from each other whereby the combined effect of gravity may assist the unfolding of said ladder assembly for use.

United States Patent 1 1 11 1 3,756,347

Messera et a1. 3 1 Sept. 4, 1973 1 EMERGENCY ESCAPE LADDER [76] lnventors: Dominic Messera; Louis R. Messera, [57] ABSTRACT R 3 lsprmg Oyster A self-contained emergency escape ladder assembly selectively adjustable to and from a folded, enclosed [22] Filed: June 23, 1972 and concealed position of storage and an extended position of use comprising first and second vertically ex- [21] Appl' 265765 tending subassemblies, each of which includes a ladder post fixedly secured to a half-shell enclosure, said lad- [52] US. Cl. 182/95, 182/160 der posts being interconnected by a plurality of spaced- [51] Int. Cl. E06c 9/12 apart hinged rungs whereby said second vertically ex- [58] Field of Search 182/160, 159, 96, tending subassembly may be adjusted to and from said 182/95, 94 positions as desired. The first vertically extending subassembly being adapted to be fixedly secured to a [56] References Cited building wall. The said ladder assembly further com- UNITED STATES PATENTS prising means for securely locking said first and second 3,414,081 12/1968 Wedvik 182/96 Vertically extending, pomms wgethe Said. 5

1,109,357 9,1914 okamiya 182/160 position and additlonally means for unlockmg sald 314,899 3/1885 Wilson 182/96 locking means and urging Said Portions y from each 647,214 4 1900 Billmeyer 182/94 oth her y th m in d effe t of gravity may assist the unfolding of said ladder assembly for use.

Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Att0rneyAlvin Browdy et a1. 9 Claims 9 Drawing Figures minnow 4am 371561347 SHE 2 0F 2 FIG. 5. F 6 I 28 60 2452 32,

I EMERGENCY ESCAPE LADDER This invention relates to an emergency escape ladder assembly and in particular to an assembly which may be selectively adjusted to and from a folded position for storage or an extended position for use. Class 182, subclass 160 is believed to be the repository of the most relevant art insofar as this invention is concerned.

Foldable emergency escape ladders are well-known in the prior art as exemplified by the venerable U.S. Pat. to Wilson No. (314,899), for example. More recent developments in this field are noted in the U.S. Pats. of Wedvik No. (3,4l4,08l) and Reinhard No. (3,575,263). The earlier forms of the prior art ladders comprise post and rung elements which would be substantially fully exposed to the weather and thus subject to comparatively rapid deterioration. The ladder elements of the more recent prior art are somewhat better protected from the weather, but still not fully enclosed.

Because unfolding of ladder assemblies of this type depend upon hinge connections between the rungs and posts, protection of the hinge parts from the weather would appear to be of importance particularly if lubrication thereof is necessary.

A latent defect in such ladder assemblies may arise from misalignment between the post elements thereof either from manufacture or the parts are distorted from usage. In this connection if the outer post should become canted so that it tends to lean toward the supporting wall, particularly if jammed in the folded position, a considerable force may be required to unfold the ladder for use.

It is an object of this invention to provide an im' proved emergency escape ladder which is fully enclosed and protected from the weather in its folded storage position. i

It is another object of this invention to-provide an emergency escape ladder of improved appearance which is fully concealed from view in its folded storage position.

It is additionally an object of this invention to provide an emergency escape ladder with means for locking it in folded storage position.

It is further an objectof this invention to provide an emergency escape ladder with means to disengage its locking mechanism to unlock it and in the same motion positively push its movable post away from the fixed post.

For an understanding of the structural and functional details of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same ref erence numerals designate the same parts in all of the VIGWI FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the ladder assembly according to the present invention in its folded, enclosed and concealed position of storage;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the ladder assembly of FIG. 1 in its extended position of use;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the ladder assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view of the ladder assembly looking in the direction of the arrows along'the plane 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the ladder assembly taken along the plane 5--5 and looking at the arrows associated therewith in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the ladder as sembly taken along the plane 6-6 and looking at the arrows associated therewith in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the ladder assembly according to the present invention in its extended position of use taken along a horizontal plane adjacent the lower end thereof and looking down;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the upper end of the ladder assembly according to the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing the operational relationship between wedge-cam means for adjusting the ladder assembly to its extended position of use.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5 that the novel emergency escape ladder assembly 10 according to the present invention comprises a fixed subassembly 12 secured to wall W of a building, for example, by a plurality of mounting screws 13 and an adjustable subassembly 14. Fixed subassembly 12 includes half-shell enclosure member 16 and post element 20 integral therewith. Similarly, adjustable subassembly 14 includes half-shell enclosure member 18 and post element 22 integral therewith. The post elements 20 and 22 are interconnected to each other by a plurality of rungs 24 at vertically spaced points. Opposite ends of each rung 24 are hingedly connected to the post elements 20 and 22 by suitable pivot bolt or pin elements 26. By reason of the pivotal relationship between rungs 24 and post elements 20, 22 subassembly 14 may be swung as indicated by the are at the top of FIG. 2 to selectively adjust the ladder assembly to and from its folded, enclosed and concealed position of storage, as shown in FIG. 1, and its extended position of use, as shown in FIG. 2.

Subassembly l2 additionally comprises an upper L- shaped portion 28 including flanges 30 and 32 which form an upwardly directed bevel shoulder 34 as illustrated in FIG. 8. Subassembly 12 further comprises a lower blind-end hollow enclosure base portion 36 with an upwardly directed bevel shoulder 38 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In cooperative relationship with subassembly l2, subassembly l4 additionally comprises a lower L- shaped portion 40 including flanges 42 and 44 which form a downwardly directed bevel shoulder 46. Subassembly 14 further comprises an upper blind-end hollow enclosure head portion 48 with a downwardly directed bevel shoulder 50.

Looking now at FIGS. .4 and 6 along with FIGS. 1 and 2 it is seen that a vertically extending slide bar 52 formed with a hook 58 at its upper end is disposed between angled flanges 42 and 44 generally in parallel relationship to post 22 of adjustable subassembly 14. A pair of vertically spaced tubular sleeves 54 and 56 are fixedly secured to post 22 and surround the bar 52 to confine movement thereof to the vertical direction. Also, a guide plate 57 may be fixedly disposed on bar 52 to restrict its movement. Fixedly disposed adjacent the upper end of a fixed subassembly 12 between angled flanges 30 and 32 is detent plate 60 with a hole 62 for cooperation with hook 58 whereby subassemblies l2 and 14 may be locked together in the folded condition as seen in FIG. 1. Integral with and extending at to slide bar 52 is handle 64 which passes through vertical slot 66 in flange 44 of subassembly 14. Extending around bar 52 just beneath sleeves 54 and 56, respectively, are compression springs 68 and 70. Abutment plates 72 and 74 are fixedly disposed on bar 52 beneath springs 68 and 70 to impose a downward bias on bar 52 and hook 58. An additional detent plate 49 provided with an aperture 51 may be fixedly secured over shoulder 38 to lockingly receive the lower end 53 of bar 52. It is noted that the locking mechanism is entirely enclosed except for handle 64 when the ladder assembly 10 is folded in storage condition.

Cam members 76 and 78 are fixedly disposed on bar 52 and on flange 30 of subassembly 12, respectively. As best seen in FIG. 1 cam members 76 and 78 are shown to be in the form of wedges although they may be of any other form which would impart a separating motion to subassembly 14 upon upward movement of bar 52. Cam member 76 and 78 as seen in the preferred embodiment are formed with slant working faces extending upwardly and to the right.

A notch 80 is formed in base portion 36 of subassembly 12, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, to allow for passage therethrough of the bottom rung 24. It is clear that notch 80 may be omitted by lowering bevel shoulders 38 and 46.

Although the ladder assembly 10, as illustrated, extends to a lower support surface or ground its lower extremities may terminate short of the ground.

Ordinarily the ladder assembly 10 would be maintained in the folded, enclosed and concealed position of storage condition, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, and 6, in which subassembly 14 is folded upon subassembly 12 with the rungs 24 extending in the dotted position, illustrated in FIG. 2, wedges 76 and 78 together and hook 58 inserted in hole 62 of detent plate 60. In this condition of ladder assembly 10, bevel shoulders 46 and 50 of subassembly 14 are supported on bevel shoulders 34 and 38, respectively of subassembly 12. Further, bar 52 and its hook 58 are resiliently biased in the downward direction by compression springs 68 and 70 to maintain the assembly locked in the folded condition. The ladder assembly 10 is thus maintained in a folded and out of the way condition, an enclosed condition free from deterioration by the weather, and a concealed condition both with respect to problems of unsightliness and attracting burlars.

When the occasion requiring use of the ladder arises, it is only necessary to lift the handle 64 shown in FIG. 4 against the bias of springs 68 and 70. Upon lifting bar 52 so that hook 58 is free of hole 62, subassembly 14 will be urged to the right, particularly the lower end thereof. As subassembly 14 is urged to the right by reason of cam wedges 76 and 78, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, head portion 48 will move from solid position to the dotted position of use, as illustrated in FIG. 3, or as also illustrated in FIG. 2. Thereafter with the aid of gravity subassembly 14 will drop down and to the right to the extended position.

It is to be understood that while one preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, numerous variations or modifications therein may occur to those having skill in this art and what is intended to be covered herein is not only the illustrated form of the invention, but also any and all modified forms thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention.

We claim:

I. A self-contained foldable emergency escape ladder assembly comprising first and second vertically extending sub-assemblies each of which includes a ladder post fixedly secured to a half-shell enclosure member, said ladder posts being interconnected by a plurality of spaced-apart hinged rungs whereby said second vertically extending subassembly may be adjusted to and from folded and extended positions, said first half-shell enclosure member being in the form of a pair of angled flanges one of which is adapted to be secured to a building wall and with a blind-end hollow enclosure base adjacent its lower end including an upwardly directed supporting shoulder on one side thereof just above said lower end, said second enclosure half-shell member also being in the form of a pair of angled flanges with one of its flanges having a downwardly directed shoulder adapted to rest upon said supporting shoulder of said first half-shell enclosure member in the folded condition of said assembly to enclose the lower end thereof, said first half-shell enclosure member also including an upwardly directed supporting shoulder at its upper end and said second half-shell enclosure member also including a blind-end hollow enclosure head adjacent its upper end with a downwardly directed shoulder on one side thereof just below said upper end whereby said downwardly directed shoulder of said enclosure head is adapted to rest upon said shoulder at the upper end of said first half-shell enclosure member in the folded condition of said assembly to enclose the upper end thereof.

2. The ladder assembly as recited in claim I wherein lock means are provided on said first and second subassemblies between the angled flanges thereof to maintain said subassemblies locked in folded condition and whereby said lock means are enclosed within said enclosure members in the closed condition thereof.

3. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said lock means comprises a slide bar with a hook thereon and which is slidably disposed on one of said first and second subassemblies, and a detent plate having a hole for reception of said hook and which is fixedly secured to the other of said first and second subassemblies.

4. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said slide bar is slidably disposed on said second subassembly and said detent plate is fixedly secured on said first subassembly.

5. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said slide bar is resiliently urged by spring means tending to maintain said bar in its locking position.

6. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein handle means are provided on said slide bar whereby a lifting force may be applied in opposition to the force of said spring means to thereby disengage said hook from said detent plate.

7. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 6 wherein cam means are provided on said first and second subassemblies whereby upon lifting said handle to disengage said hook from said detent plate said cam means imparts a separating motion between said first and second subassemblies.

8. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said cam means are in the form ofa pair of wedge members one of which is fixedly secured to said slidable bar and the other of which is fixedly disposed on the other of said first and second subassemblies.

9. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein guide means are provided on said slidable bar to restrict its movement to the vertical direction.

* n: t a i 

1. A self-contained foldable emergency escape ladder assembly comprising first and second vertically extending sub-assemblies each of which includes a ladder post fixedly secured to a halfshell enclosure member, said ladder posts being interconnected by a plurality of spaced-apart hinged rungs whereby said second vertically extending subassembly may be adjusted to and from folded and extended positions, said first half-shell enclosure member being in the form of a pair of angled flanges one of which is adapted to be sEcured to a building wall and with a blind-end hollow enclosure base adjacent its lower end including an upwardly directed supporting shoulder on one side thereof just above said lower end, said second enclosure half-shell member also being in the form of a pair of angled flanges with one of its flanges having a downwardly directed shoulder adapted to rest upon said supporting shoulder of said first half-shell enclosure member in the folded condition of said assembly to enclose the lower end thereof, said first half-shell enclosure member also including an upwardly directed supporting shoulder at its upper end and said second half-shell enclosure member also including a blind-end hollow enclosure head adjacent its upper end with a downwardly directed shoulder on one side thereof just below said upper end whereby said downwardly directed shoulder of said enclosure head is adapted to rest upon said shoulder at the upper end of said first half-shell enclosure member in the folded condition of said assembly to enclose the upper end thereof.
 2. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein lock means are provided on said first and second subassemblies between the angled flanges thereof to maintain said subassemblies locked in folded condition and whereby said lock means are enclosed within said enclosure members in the closed condition thereof.
 3. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 2 wherein said lock means comprises a slide bar with a hook thereon and which is slidably disposed on one of said first and second subassemblies, and a detent plate having a hole for reception of said hook and which is fixedly secured to the other of said first and second subassemblies.
 4. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said slide bar is slidably disposed on said second subassembly and said detent plate is fixedly secured on said first subassembly.
 5. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 3 wherein said slide bar is resiliently urged by spring means tending to maintain said bar in its locking position.
 6. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 5 wherein handle means are provided on said slide bar whereby a lifting force may be applied in opposition to the force of said spring means to thereby disengage said hook from said detent plate.
 7. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 6 wherein cam means are provided on said first and second subassemblies whereby upon lifting said handle to disengage said hook from said detent plate said cam means imparts a separating motion between said first and second subassemblies.
 8. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 7 wherein said cam means are in the form of a pair of wedge members one of which is fixedly secured to said slidable bar and the other of which is fixedly disposed on the other of said first and second subassemblies.
 9. The ladder assembly as recited in claim 8 wherein guide means are provided on said slidable bar to restrict its movement to the vertical direction. 